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ABA is Conversion Therapy for Autistics
Same guy, same principles, similar traumatic experiences
What is ABA?
Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is a behaviour modification technique which uses rewards and punishments to change behaviour. Based on the work of psychologists such as B.F. Skinner and Ole Ivar Lovaas, ABA prioritizes observable and measurable behaviour over internal factors. Skinner and other behaviourists believe modifying environmental variables surrounding a behaviour will change the behaviour itself.
Reinforcement and punishment are defined by their influence on behaviour: Adding something the subject finds rewarding after the behaviour will increase its likelihood of being repeated, whereas removing something desired or introducing an aversive decreases the likelihood of a behaviour recurring.
The principles of behaviourism are ubiquitous throughout society, especially in public education, and in particular with Autistic children. For more than three decades, experts in child development and related fields have expressed increasing concerns about the lack of evidence supporting the efficacy of ABA interventions, and the potential psychological damage caused by their use.
